Nerdspecial Assessment – The Struggle of the God Queen by David Hambling [Pride]
What’s Struggle of the God Queen?
Jessica: a contemporary girl, thrown again into the bronze age, alone amongst a wierd and violent folks.
Amir: a nomad warlord, main a hopeless battle towards monstrous invaders, searching for a miracle.
To Amir, the gorgeous stranger is an indication from heaven. And Jessica, although no warrior, has hidden skills even she doesn’t recognize. When Jessica recruits different girls kidnapped via time, they band collectively to struggle again towards the seemingly invulnerable Spawn
The way forward for humanity is at stake, and Jessica’s supposed mates could also be extra harmful than her enemies..
You’ll love this epic fantasy pushed by characters dealing with the problem of changing into what they may solely dream.
Assessment
WAR OF THE GOD QUEEN is an indie darkish fantasy by David Hambling. I’m an enormous fan of his Harry Stubbs collection that I reviewed beforehand on this web site. Nonetheless, I used to be stunned to listen to about him shifting from writing occult detective novels and horror to a extra fantastical collection set throughout a Hyborian Age-like Bronze Age.
It is a direct sequel to The Dulwich Horror however has extra in frequent with Brian Lumley’s later Titus Crow novels than the earlier occult mysteries. Which is to say the most effective response to coping with Cthulhu and his ilk is to stab them within the face. It additionally doesn’t require studying The Dulwich Horror to know it.
The premise is the protagonist, Jessica, has been forged again into time. It’s a pulpy journey that takes place in a pre-Bronze Age Stone Age civilization. References are made to A Conneticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Courtroom and the Barsoom novels with a joke that the protagonist, Jessica, isn’t like every of these supermen with their data of engineering in addition to army ways.
Jessica is a Edwardian girl who finds herself quickly the pinnacle of a time-lost band of ladies who’re all of various ethnicities. They keep away from changing into the property of the native tribes as a consequence of some quick considering and the idea they’re goddesses. They’ve an enemy within the Spawn of Cthulhu, nevertheless, who threaten to wipe out humanity earlier than it will possibly ever grow to be a risk to even the lowliest of his servitors.
A lot is made from Jessica attempting to outlive in a time with none type of metallurgy, trendy hygiene, or facilities. Additionally it is a piece with a feminist slant as the ladies band collectively to attempt to assert their dignity. Additionally it is a journey about slaying prehistoric eldritch monsters. I preferred the latter aspect much more and word it is a very Pulpy Conan-esque view of the Bronze Age and nearly want he’d gone full Howardian.
The journey novel is an effective alternative for Delight Month as a result of a number of of the ladies in Jessica’s group are queer and their struggle for his or her rights embody them. Ailing, the hunter from Sixteenth-century North America, is lesbian. Isabel, from twenty second century Brazil, is bi and likewise trans. One in all Jessica’s native allies is a homosexual man who lives in a time when it’s not thought of to be an enormous deal versus social standing. Jessica adjusts to those components as all of them bond over their shared struggles.
David Hambling has an attractive and entertaining writing model in addition to a fascination with time journey. The Cthulhu Mythos right here is much less inscrutable and extra overtly malevolent but it surely works nicely for a narrative about girls making an attempt to keep away from changing into fodder for his or her Innsmouth-esque plot to take over the world. Fortunately, the entire implied ick that kidnapping girls from throughout time to breed monster infants is thwarted as nicely. It’s not that type of ebook. It’s extra, “stab the loopy squid cultists within the face.”
If this appears like your kind of factor then positively test it out. I like David Hambling’s occult mysteries extra however this was a unusual and enjoyable ebook regardless of its generally darkish subject material in addition to offbeat idea.
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